The Purple Puffy Coat — Maribeth Boelts

Beetle gives Stick Bug an attention-grabbing coat for his birthday -- but is that what Stick Bug really wants? A delightful story about friends learning to understand each other.

It's almost Stick Bug's birthday, and his fashionable friend Beetle can't wait to give him his present -- a purple puffy coat! The coat draws a lot of attention and makes Stick Bug really stick out in the crowd. Beetle thinks that's terrific! He brings Stick Bug all over town, happily boasting and bragging (while Stick Bug waits behind a tree, in a pile of leaves, or under a bench). Oh, dear -- maybe Stick Bug isn't as wild about the purple puffy coat as Beetle is! What can the two friends do? Charming illustrations bring to life both characters' endearing struggles in this warm and humorous story about learning to pay attention to what makes your friend happy rather than what makes you happy.